(a) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a display device.
(b) Description of the Related Art
Liquid crystal displays (“LCDs”) are one of the most widely used flat panel displays. An LCD typically includes a pair of panels provided with field-generating electrodes, such as pixel electrodes and a common electrode, and a liquid crystal (“LC”) layer interposed between the two panels. The LCD displays images by applying voltages to the field-generating electrodes to generate an electric field in the LC layer that determines orientations of LC molecules therein to adjust polarization of incident light, and thereby adjust transmission of light through the display.
In some types of LCDs, a structure in which the field generating electrodes are respectively provided to two display panels is widely used. In such LCDs, one display panel includes a plurality of thin film transistors (“TFTs”) and pixel electrodes arranged in a matrix shape, and the other panel includes color filters, a light-blocking member and a common electrode covering the whole surface thereof.
However, in such LCDs the pixel electrodes and color filters are respectively formed on different display panels in the LCD such that it is difficult to correctly align the pixel electrodes and color filters, and as a result an alignment error may be generated.
To solve this problem, a color filter on array (“CoA”) structure in which the pixel electrodes and the color filters are formed on the same display panel has been developed. In the color filter on array structure, the color filters, the pixel electrodes, and a plurality of signal lines, such as gate lines and data lines for applying voltages to the pixel electrodes and switching elements for controlling them, are generally formed on one display panel.
Generally, color filters disposed in neighboring pixels are partially overlapped with each other near the boundary thereof. However, in the case of the color filter on array structure, the signal lines such as the data lines are disposed near the boundary of the pixels such that the color filters are overlapped on the signal lines.
In this case, step coverage is increased due to the sum of the thickness of the signal line and the increased thickness of the overlapping color filters near the boundary of the pixels. Accordingly, the interval between the display panel having the color filters and the facing display panel is narrow near the boundary of adjacent pixels such that the cell gap becomes non-uniform throughout the display device. The non-uniform cell gap may lead to defects in the resulting display.